Clint Eastwood Interrogates Empty Chair!

I would just like to say something, ladies and gentlemen. Something that I think is very important. It is that, you, we — we own this country.

Clint Eastwood

Truly one of the most bizarre, and entertaining, moments I have witnessed in almost fifty years of observing national political conventions. People may forget almost all of this convention as the years roll by, but they will always remember Clint and the empty chair! Here is the text of his unforgettable act:

EASTWOOD: Thank you very much. Thank you. Thank you very much. Save a little for Mitt.

(APPLAUSE) I know what you are thinking. You are thinking, what’s a movie tradesman doing out here? You know they are all left wingers out there, left of Lenin. At least that is what people think. That is not really the case. There are a lot of conservative people, a lot of moderate people, Republicans, Democrats, in Hollywood. It is just that the conservative people by the nature of the word itself play closer to the vest. They do not go around hot dogging it.

(APPLAUSE)

So — but they are there, believe me, they are there. I just think, in fact, some of them around town, I saw Jon Voight, a lot of people around.

(APPLAUSE)

Jon’s here, an academy award winner. A terrific guy. These people are all like-minded, like all of us.

So I — so I’ve got Mr. Obama sitting here. And he’s — I was going to ask him a couple of questions. But — you know about — I remember three and a half years ago, when Mr. Obama won the election. And though I was not a big supporter, I was watching that night when he was having that thing and they were talking about hope and change and they were talking about, yes we can, and it was dark outdoors, and it was nice, and people were lighting candles.

They were saying, I just thought, this was great. Everybody is trying, Oprah was crying.

(LAUGHTER)

EASTWOOD: I was even crying. And then finally — and I haven’t cried that hard since I found out that there is 23 million unemployed people in this country.

(APPLAUSE)

Now that is something to cry for because that is a disgrace, a national disgrace, and we haven’t done enough, obviously — this administration hasn’t done enough to cure that. Whenever interest they have is not strong enough, and I think possibly now it may be time for somebody else to come along and solve the problem.

(APPLAUSE)

So, Mr. President, how do you handle promises that you have made when you were running for election, and how do you handle them?

I mean, what do you say to people? Do you just — you know — I know — people were wondering — you don’t — handle that OK. Well, I know even people in your own party were very disappointed when you didn’t close Gitmo. And I thought, well closing Gitmo — why close that, we spent so much money on it. But, I thought maybe as an excuse — what do you mean shut up?

(LAUGHTER)

OK, I thought maybe it was just because somebody had the stupid idea of trying terrorists in downtown New York City.

(APPLAUSE)

I’ve got to to hand it to you. I have to give credit where credit is due. You did finally overrule that finally. And that’s — now we are moving onward. I know you were against the war in Iraq, and that’s okay. But you thought the war in Afghanistan was OK. You know, I mean — you thought that was something worth doing. We didn’t check with the Russians to see how did it — they did there for 10 years.

(APPLAUSE)

But we did it, and it is something to be thought about, and I think that, when we get to maybe — I think you’ve mentioned something about having a target date for bringing everybody home. You gave that target date, and I think Mr. Romney asked the only sensible question, you know, he says, “Why are you giving the date out now? Why don’t you just bring them home tomorrow morning?”

(APPLAUSE)

And I thought — I thought, yeah — I am not going to shut up, it is my turn.

(LAUGHTER)

So anyway, we’re going to have — we’re going to have to have a little chat about that. And then, I just wondered, all these promises — I wondered about when the — what do you want me to tell Romney? I can’t tell him to do that. I can’t tell him to do that to himself.

But I just think that there is so much to be done, and I think that Mr. Romney and Mr. Ryan are two guys that can come along. See, I never thought it was a good idea for attorneys to the president, anyway.

(APPLAUSE)

I think attorneys are so busy — you know they’re always taught to argue everything, and always weight everything — weigh both sides…

EASTWOOD: They are always devil’s advocating this and bifurcating this and bifurcating that. You know all that stuff. But, I think it is maybe time — what do you think — for maybe a businessman. How about that?

(APPLAUSE)

A stellar businessman. Quote, unquote, “a stellar businessman.”

And I think it’s that time. And I think if you just step aside and Mr. Romney can kind of take over. You can maybe still use a plane.

(APPLAUSE)

Though maybe a smaller one. Not that big gas guzzler you are going around to colleges and talking about student loans and stuff like that.

(APPLAUSE)

You are an — an ecological man. Why would you want to drive that around?

OK, well anyway. All right, I’m sorry. I can’t do that to myself either.

(APPLAUSE)

I would just like to say something, ladies and gentlemen. Something that I think is very important. It is that, you, we — we own this country.

(APPLAUSE)

We — we own it. It is not you owning it, and not politicians owning it. Politicians are employees of ours.

(APPLAUSE)

And — so — they are just going to come around and beg for votes every few years. It is the same old deal. But I just think it is important that you realize , that you’re the best in the world. Whether you are a Democrat or Republican or whether you’re libertarian or whatever, you are the best. And we should not ever forget that. And when somebody does not do the job, we got to let them go.

(APPLAUSE)

Okay, just remember that. And I’m speaking out for everybody out there. It doesn’t hurt, we don’t have to be

(AUDIENCE MEMBER): (inaudible)

(LAUGHTER)

I do not say that word anymore. Well, maybe one last time.

(LAUGHTER)

We don’t have to be — what I’m saying, we do not have to be metal (ph) masochists and vote for somebody that we don’t really even want in office just because they seem to be nice guys or maybe not so nice guys, if you look at some of the recent ads going out there, I don’t know.

Wrote this on another board after watching the “speech” a second time.

I thought it was a humorous break. If I thought anything needed to change, it would be him reducing the number of “uh’s.” (It’s a violation of public speaking code.) I thought that left the impression he was rambling, but he wasn’t. He knew what he wanted to say and in what order. He was even able to handle a heckler and get back on course and then work the heckler back into the closing. That’s not the work of a rambling man.

I recommend going back and giving it another watch. Your opinion may change.

Blackadder, I think his point was that if you are going to be in Afghanistan, have a goal in mind. You have to aim for something or you just keep going on and on. Obama has expressed no vision of what the end game is and has basically just carried the ball disinterested fashion to and fro. It’s as if Obama’s only interest in Afghanistan was to get Osama, “Election bullet point achieved. I’m done.”

He gave permission to people who have never voted republican before, or those who have bought into the hope ideas, or those who were just so pumped about what a cool guy Obama is, and those concerned about wars overseas, and those who can’t just put thier finger on what is wrong, but feel uneasy…to vote for the opposition.
Like a family member at a dying patient’s bedside, he softly said, ” it’s all right, you can just et him go”
” Whether you are a Democrat or Republican or whether you’re libertarian or whatever, you are the best. And we should not ever forget that. And when somebody does not do the job, we got to let them go.” it’s ok–
I thought he was great, and the more I think about it the better he gets.
Mitt;s speech and the whole night was good medicine for all those generational democrats who have just grown up think the R’s were the bogeyman.

It was a speech, so I didn’t much care for it, but he did well. The deliberate pauses and raspy voice don’t translate into long talks so well, but… looking back, it seems like he sped up very slowly through the whole thing, so he was talking almost “climatic scene of the movie dialog” speed and emphasis at the end.

If I left the impression that I did not like what he said, I am sorry….he might have rambled, but he made a lot of sense. We do own this country and they work for us….It may be tough to let someone go, but it is necessary that we do…..in this instance!!

Actually T Shaw it’s “uh” not “duh” as seen below: from a Limbaugh show some moons ago

Now, this next sound bite, ladies and gentlemen, is a series of uhs in one answer to a question asked of President Obama sitting with president Benjamin Netanyahu. Obama took two questions. The answer to the first question was two minutes and 30 seconds. Thirty-six seconds of the answer was this. None of these are repeated.

RUSH: I was asked if the teleprompter was stuck. There wasn’t a teleprompter, which is one of the problems. But it doesn’t matter what the question was. That’s 36 seconds of uhs, unrepeated in an answer to two questions. The answer was two minutes and 30 seconds.

Siobhan: Many prayers for Clint Eastwood. He loves our founding principles and our country founded upon the belief in and trust in God, our “Creator”, and Endower of unalienable rights. Clint Eastwood’s love for freedom will lead him to the TRUTH. One Hail Mary.

Siobhan: Evolution only brings forth “that” and “what”. Our Creator begets “WHO”. The human being comprised of human body and human rational, immortal soul is a child of the God of LOVE. Man needed a Creator and a begetting. God created us immortal, without end. The God of LIFE created man to LIFE ETERNAL, that no human being, no man (Mankind is included in man. Mankind is woman, who is kind of like man, a human being, a sovereign person, only different, only a difference God imbues.) cannot be found in Jesus Christ’s Sacred Heart. “…for you are sacred to me, for I, the Lord, your God, am sacred”. “…that they may all be one, Father, as you and I are one.” The word Holy “SANCTUS” means LIFE. “a who IS a person no matter how small.” From Horton Hears A WHO. Something Clint Eastwood would be familiar with as I believe that he channeled William Buckley’s debate with Gore Vidal. “Oh, Shut up.” “No, I won’t shut up” “You shut up”. Eastwood embellished and polished and Buckley in heaven is smillinnng.